Government Adds 34 Lakh Farmers Back to PM-KISAN Scheme

December 29, 2023

The Indian government has re-enrolled 34 lakh farmers under its PM-KISAN program after numbers dropped over 20% from peak levels in 2022. This comes amidst a nationwide yatra to saturate coverage.

PM-KISAN Benefits and Eligibility

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme provides Rs 6,000 yearly income support to farmers in three installments. Eligible landholding families making below Rs 6 lakhs annually get Rs 2,000 every four months.

Over 12 crore farmers have received funds under the program since its 2019 launch.

Recent Decline in Enrollment

Enrollments hit an all-time high of 10.47 crore during April-July 2022 before declining. By August-November 2022 numbers fell to 8.57 crore and further to 8.12 crore in December 2022-March 2023.

This also reduced overall disbursals from Rs 67,121 crore in 2021-22 to only Rs 58,258 crore in 2022-23.

Ongoing Efforts to Boost Coverage

A countrywide yatra was initiated on November 15th to saturate PM-KISAN coverage among eligible farmers, especially vulnerable groups, who haven’t yet benefited. Already this has reinstated 34 lakh beneficiaries, largely concentrated in major agrarian states like Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Authorities expect to cross 8.75 beneficiary farmers by the yatra’s end in January 2024 through this inclusion drive.

Having peaked enrollment ahead of the 2019 general elections, the latest push comes as the 2024 polls near. Broad coverage of the rural vote bank scheme again carries political import alongside welfare aims.

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